About the Game

Ultimate Frisbee in 10 Simple Rules The Field – A rectangular shape with end zones at each end. A regulation field is 64m by 37m, with end zones 18m deep. Initiate Play – Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective end zone line. The defense throws (“pulls”) the disc to the offense. A regulation game has seven players per team. Scoring – Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense’s end zone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated after each score. Movement of the Disc – The disc may be advanced in any direction by completing a pass to a teammate. Players may not run with the disc. The person with the disc (“thrower”) has ten seconds to throw the disc. The defender guarding the thrower (...

Everything you wanted to know about Ultimate but were afraid to ask: Bid An attempt to catch or block the disc, usually a layout or sky. Bomb When one team has control of the disc close to its own endzone, throws the disc (to nobody) toward the other side of the field. Used to stop or to reset the advancement by the enemy team toward the “Bombing” team’s own endzone. See also ‘Punt’. Break To break your marker means to throw the disc past them to the side of the field they were trying to deny as part of a force defense. A break-force throw is one that breaks your marker. A call of “no break!” is an instruction to the defensive player currently marking the disc not to get broken, and is usually called when an offensive player gets free on the closed...

It’s a fast, furious and fiercely competitive sport. Hear the words “ultimate” and “Frisbee” together, and immediately you envision barefoot students in tie-dyed shirts, lazily tossing a disc to a golden retriever. Wrong. In Ultimate Frisbee, a hyper hybrid of basketball, football and soccer, two teams of seven players whiz around a 70- by 40-yard field, trying to keep the disc moving until a teammate catches it in the end zone and scores a point. Depending on the tournament, games are played to 13, 15 or 17 points; they can run as long as two hours. The only way to advance the Frisbee is through the air, so players go gonzo trying to get open. Play changes hands when a pass is incomplete, intercepted, knocked down or goes out-of-bounds. The result? “You...

So, you’ve got a friend who’s been bugging you forever about joining his pals on Sunday morning to play a little Ultimate. You want to go, but you’re afraid of making a complete fool of yourself because you know nothing about the game. The game of Ultimate is not that complicated. However, to avoid looking like a complete dufus your first time out, read on. We’ve got you covered. Just don’t go around slinging the lingo on day 1. That’s a sure way to not get invited back. As even the briefest exposure to the game demonstrates, running, throwing, and catching are the key physical skills that make a good Ultimate player. An understanding of strategy and positioning are the most important mental aspects of the game. Both sides of the game can be learned easi...